


Green

by BarPurple



Series: Fandomas 2018 [25]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Christmas Fluff, Dark Castle, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-31
Updated: 2018-12-31
Packaged: 2019-10-01 08:05:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 385
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17240558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BarPurple/pseuds/BarPurple
Summary: Dark Castle, huh, more like Green Castle at the moment.





	Green

The Dark Castle was supposed to be dark, the clue was in the name. However, this was a difficult concept for his maid to grasp. Rumple decided it was his own fault; he’d told her not to put the curtains back up. He’d not expected that allowing her to let a bit of light into to his home would lead to this.

His castle had broken out in green, masses of green. Holly, ivy, spruce and pine. Green everywhere.

It was perplexing until he made the effort to consult the calendar. Aha, Midwinter. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d celebrated the shortest day of the year.

_Liar_

He rolled his eyes at himself. Alright, he knew exactly when he’d last celebrated, but he didn’t like the bittersweet tang of the memories of his son singing the carols and laughing.

Midwinter was a time of hope, and there had been little enough of that in Rumple’s life of late. He drummed his fingers against the wood of his spinning wheel. Maybe letting the little maid have her way wasn’t a bad idea, a bit more hope around here couldn’t hurt.

Belle bustled in, red-cheeked and nipped from the cold, but smiling as she dropped another great armful of greenery on to the table.

“Are you planning on striping the whole forest bare, dearie?”

She clucked her tongue at him in a mild chastisement; “The forest can spare a few branches. These are the last ones we need.”

Rumple raised an eyebrow; “And where are you planning on hanging these?”

“Above the windows. Could you help me with the ladder?”

A strange shiver tingled through him as he recalled what had happened last time she’d climbed the ladder. He forced away the memory of her in his arms and rose slowly to his feet.

“Have you forgotten who I am, dearie?”

He twirled his hands and the boughs of evergreen arranged themselves into decorations and floated to hang above the windows.

Belle smiled and hugged him briefly; “Thank you Rumple.”

“Yes, well, tis no matter.”

She went back to her chores and Rumple pretended not to notice the sprigs of mistletoe that she’d hung around the place. He was hoping that she wouldn’t want to observe the tradition that went with that bit of green.

_Liar._


End file.
